Another personal challenge I am giving myself in 2012 is to try new-to-me authors so I can stop commenting “This is an author I have yet to experience but I can’t wait!” when I see reviews from the following:
Jon Krakauer – I’m thinking that I should try Into the Wild first.
Mary Roach – any! Depends on when and what strikes my fancy.
Tom Perotta – Election
Susan Jane Gilman – Hypocrite in a White Pouffy Dress
China Miéville – Kraken or The City and the City
Zetta Elliot – A Wish After Midnight
P.G. Wodehouse – I have Right Ho, Jeeves in iBooks
Connie Willis – Either Doomsday Book or To Say Nothing of the Dog
And these authors are favorites that I missed in 2011:
Diana Wynne Jones – most curious about Howl’s Moving Castle
Tracy Kidder – I own Old Friends, My Detachment and Strength in What Remains – which will likely be my first choice.
A.S.Byatt – I own Possession in paperback and The Children’s Book in hardback; I expect a vocabulary workout.
Ian McEwan – Eager to try Saturday.
Margaret Atwood – Alias Grace is up next.
So, counting the 11 books from the Loaned to Me Personal Challenge #1, plus a few readalongs, my monthly IRL book club, I’m up to 48 ‘scheduled’ books I *WANT* to read.
2012 PERSONAL CHALLENGE #2 – bring it on!
HIdeinWhitetoSkipLine
Care's Books and Pie 
I just read Howl’s Moving Castle for the first time, and loved it so much that I then went and watched the movie, and reread the book already. Well, re-listened, since I had it on audio, but when the print version of the book comes in from the library, I’ll probably reread it again. Highly recommended!
And Possession is my fav book of all time. 🙂
😀 – I just knew you would be commenting on the DWJ!
The only writer of these I have tried is Margaret Atwood. A brilliant writer though Alias Grace is not my favourite.
She’s awesome. Alias Grace is just the one I have. It will be my 4th Atwood to experience.
I’m just starting Ian McEwan’s The Innocent.
I don’t think I know anything about that one. Have you read any IMcE or is this your first?
Oooh, I like this authors idea. Of course, the list of authors I find myself saying that about is probably hundreds long. Hmmm…maybe I better not play copycat on this one. 😛
Oh, I’m sure I left off MANY! But it’s just an idea, a guideline, a list of suggestions. Will see what happens.
Love this idea, Care! Hmm, I have a few like that too – Boneshaker (Cherie Priest) comes to mind, Among Others (Jo Walton), any Charles Dickens, so many mystery series…..I think I had 32 first books in mystery series on my shelves, that I’ve been collecting to read and still hadn’t opened! yikes! I could do a whole year on just beginning series! lol
Enjoy your series starts, Susan.
I would say, for Mieville read The City and the City; for Byatt, read Possession if you’re a plot person or the children’s book if you’re a character person. But they’re all wonderful. Except I haven’t heard good things about Kraken from too many people, LOL.
Oh – thank you; The City and the City it will be then. and I am probably more a character person but that’s OK – I’ll let the first sentence and my mood make that decision.
Wow, that’s a lot – 48! Hope you get to them and enjoy them 🙂 All those authors are new to me too.
I know! It might not have been the best idea to add ’em up. ALL of the authors are new to you?! We could do a readalong — let me know. 😀
Yay Krakauer! Yay Roach! Yay Gilman!
Yay Softdrink!
I just want to take a moment to say:
OH MY GOD READ TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG. READ IT READ IT.
It’s one of my all-time favorite books. 😀
Ok! Yes indeed-ee!
Into the Wild is really good. Stiff is my favorite Mary Roach book and Perotta has a wicked sense of humor.
Oh and P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorites!
I have seriously thought about which Krakauer book is best to start with and yes, Into the Wild it will be. As to the Roach? I really want to read all of them and so I just might start with her first and do them in order.
Can you believe that I’ve read a biography of our man P.G. and yet have never read any of this books?! I know the Jeeves character and have seen some of the videos of comedy skits he wrote.
Well I can tell you Mary Roach is a hoot! I highly recommend Stiff.
I know I am going to love Roach in a headsOVERheels kinda way.
I’m a huge P. G. Wodehouse fan and a relatively new Connie Willis Fangirl. I think you’ll love both. Can’t remember if To Say Nothing of the Dog is the first book or Doomsday book precedes it. I read Doomsday Book and Dog is on my list of books I want to read, this year. Maybe we could buddy read it?
Always up for a buddy-read with you. Name the time and place. ha!
Any time. You’re in the midst of an 1Q84 group read, right? After that, maybe?
Maybe! Will see how long it takes me to get through this doorstop. (It’s actually good.)
I’m glad you’re enjoying your chunkster. It’s on my wish list, so someday I’ll get to it. Okay, just let me know when you’re ready. You know where to find me! 🙂
What a great idea! I might just have to do the same thing. Since one of my challenges is to really read from my own shelves, it should allow me to do some of this since I’ve bought a lot of books by authors I’ve been wanting to read for a long time.
And I just need to remember this list whenever I’m at the library or bookstore and overwhelmed with which books to look for.
I know what you mean! Connie Willis, Mary Roach, and Diana Wynne Jones are on my list of “someday” reads too. Good luck.
Good luck to you. Bytheway… I will hopefully be posting a Book 1 of 1Q84 questions and discussion points sometime next week. Catch up!?! 🙂
Into the Wild is a great book (especially on audio). Stiff is my favorite Mary Roach book so far. I think Lu and I are going to try to read Possession sometime this year. And I haven’t read Alias Grace, but I want to. Basically, you have awesome books on your list.
I’m hoping so!
Yes, I would love to have someone to ask all the hard questions about Possession. Alias Grace might be a Book Menage, too.
Do you know when the Book Menage is happening? If it’s after March, I’m in!
Oh, they/we/CR were just generating ideas at this point… I’ll let you know.
Oh, after we finish 1Q84 we should read Mary Roach together. I have been hearing about her EVERYWHERE and still not read her!
It’s nuts that I don’t yet know Roach. I mean, I’m supposed to be a science geek.
I just finished Strength In What Remains. It’s very good.
I expect nothing less.
I GASPED when I saw you haven’t read anything by Atwood. Yes, you must!! I’m hoping to read Byatt one of these days. Have Possession on the shelf but am intimidated.
Oh! I’ve rea Atwood! She’s one that I need to read ALL and I missed her in 2011, that’s all. I read The Handmaid’s Tale very soon after starting the blog and then Blind Assassin which I loved and then I read Oryx & Crake – also good. I own Alias Grace and need to get to the sequel to O&C.
Yea, I’m intimidated by Byatt. I read a short story collection – you should have seen the list of vocab words I had to look up. JiminyCrickets! (you can search it if you want to learn new words: Search Matisse Stories or just click here.
I just counted my personal challenges (23 left) plus FOUR book groups — but I know I won’t read all of them, plus I’ve scheduled some overlap — and I’m probably up to at least 50. I am in deep trouble with book overscheduling. Le sigh.
Some great choices on your list, though. I just finished rereading Howl’s Moving Castle and I loved it all over again.
Tis best NOT to count them. Just read ’em. 😀
Yay Zetta Elliott 😀 I just read her upcoming Ship of Souls and was really impressed with it. Looking forward to Wish as well.